The field of this invention relates of medical products and more particularly to a probing device which is to be referred to as a surgical stylet. Said stylet is to be used to be inserted within cavities of a human body such as into veins and body cavity openings.
It has been known in the past to employ the use of a surgical stylet by a physician when examining a patient. Such a stylet can be used to initiate entry into a body cavity, such as through the cervix, or even into the uterus. Also, stylets have been employed into veins and arteries for the purpose of opening a blocked or partially blocked vein or artery.
In the past, such surgical stylets were formed of a bendable metallic core which was entirely covered with a rigid plastic material. It is desirable to have the main body portion of the stylet covered with a rigid plastic so as to facilitate grasping and precise maneuverability of the stylet. However, the forward tip of the stylet is therefore inherently sharp and the use of such a sharp tip is undesirable. It is not at all uncommon that, during the use of the stylet, the tip portion is caused to accidentally puncture or penetrate a section of tissue which it was not desirable to puncture or penetrate.
Additionally, previous stylets could only be employed as merely a probing device. it has not been known in the past to incorporate any other structure in conjunction with the stylet which could facilitate the obtaining of tissue specimens or could be used to perform other operations such as removing deposits from the inside surface of a vein or artery.